[Mentar]

Originally Posted by Game8910

i havent seen this forum so lively in a while...man Athena really DOES bring things to life!

*straps on asbestos gear*

Well, it COULD be that a couple other factors than Athena's magical magnetism are involved too ... I'm sorry that I'll undoubtedly come over as a moping sourpuss spoilsport, but someone has to take over the dark shadow part so that the lightbringer of Athena can shine properly.

Spoiler for Kind request: People who have a low tolerance for snarks should not klick on this. I'm in a bit of a sarcastic mood today:

o She has a dramatic entrance after her fateful parting from Hayate. Looks like the tragic separation really took a whole few weeks...

o Yet again she can play the role of Damsel in distress. And look, she's in pain again! Kawaisou!

o Wanna place bets how long her traditional "Don't worry about me" public-declaration selflessness is going to hold water this time?

o Gets to flaunt her victory once more with a wonderfully moe cuddle scene after Hayate thinks of her.

o Is able to make a wide array of mysterious announcements showing that she KNOWS what's gonna be played, stirring the fanbase into a flurry of delighted speculations.

o Ensures alot of exposure by latching on to Hina, throwing a bone to the contest-winning faction to proactively prevent backlash from there.

So yea, what's not to like? As an Athena-shipper, I'd be squealing in delight now

As a Hina-shipper, I take heart in the fact that Hata gave her 1 page to reiterate that the Hayate chapter isn't terminally closed for her, simply based on the thought that he'd be a bastard to prolong a story with a winning match (Athena/Hayate) in secrecy while enjoying the torment Hina is in due to lacking closure. And seeing more of her, especially in the context of the interesting Royal Garden story compared to the "I so don't care" manga artist sidearc, is a pleasant thought.

Still, allow me to say one thing: I remember how several people (understandably) complained about H.I.N.A. during season 2. But the measure of blatant favoritism towards Athena, compared to the total annihilation of Maria (she's out of the story completely), the starving of Nagi (except for sacrificing the jewel, no good scenes for her), and the constant screwing-over of Hina (with the exception of granting her a graceful exit after defeat), absolutely supersedes anything from back then. In fact, it's a bit jarring.

This is why I was quite pleased by the results of the third popularity contest. A-tan has taken the baton of the "anything but Hina and Nagi" faction, but all the exceptional pushing during the Greece arc notwithstanding, she only collected votes from others and was soundly defeated in the totals. I honestly thought that Hina would eventually win, but not that she'd retain a near 2:1 lead.

The mood on 2chan mirrors my own: They feel that HnG was a show in decline over the last chapters. The majority feeling is rather "We'll endure what Hata puts us through" rather than "I'm really looking forward to what happens next". So, forgive me if I'm not QUITE as ecstatic as our esteemed Athena shippers - but I guess Hata has the next treat prepared for you. So, please enjoy!

*Yup, flameproof undies ready for service*

*Awaits the onslaught*